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A few buddies and I are planning a trip to Europe next summer. Whats the cheapest way to travel and what are some must sees? Ive been looking around and it seems like RyanAir has insanely cheap plane tickets to bounce between the countries. I know Amsterdam is on the list. He mentioned Prague too but I dont know what the hell is there. I pretty just want to know all of the best places to grab a beer....or twelve and take some pictures.
I was born and partly grew up in England, and have been back a few times since moving to the US. Cheapest way to go from place to place would probably be by train, you can get really good deals on rail passes throughout the continent, with no problems crossing borders. As for Prague, if you need a good reason to go there watch xXx (the movie with Vin Diesel) :D
Paris
Scotland
Venice, Rome
Prague
dude there is sooooo many places to see there
train is the cheapest way
been is sweeden for like 45 minutes
hahah at the airport?Quote:
Originally Posted by FSANE
I've been to Russia, Romania, Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, England, Netherlands, Finland, Czech Rep, Slovakia, Ukraine and that's about all I can think of right now
Train is the ONLY way to see the real Europe!Quote:
Originally Posted by 86 IROC-Z
:yup: The cities are obviously cool, but going between them throughout the country side... there are some amazing views to be seen from the window of a train.Quote:
Originally Posted by rbob93
i went to england and had a blast!!! every one was telling me stay out of the red light district but i spent most of my time there... :yup: it was awesome!!!
:haha:
so what, i've been to Ohio!Quote:
Originally Posted by pecha
me too, and pa. steelers suck by the way. :woot: go browns.:nana:Quote:
Originally Posted by 02ultraZ
Some suggestions from college when I spent a year in France studying abroad:
Get a Eurail Pass. It's good for a specific period of time with a limited number of travel dates, i.e. it's good for a month and within that month you can travel say 5 or 6 or 7 or 8 days - however much you want to pay for. That's the best way to get around. www.eurail.com
France is cheaper than most people think, once you get away from Paris. Paris is like New York. It's cool but it's not really representative of the nation as a whole. If travelling in a group of 3 or more, small, privately owned hotels will usually be cheaper than hostels and they're everywhere.
If you go through France, visit Lyon. Highly underrated. Good nightlife near the Hotel de Ville and opera house (city hall - NOT a hotel).
If you're going to travel a lot in France and you're between 12 and 25 get a "Douze/Vingt-Cinq" card. Gives you huge discounts on France-only tickets and costs like 50 euro up front. I used a Eurail pass for long travels from my home in Lyon and used the 12/25 card to see most of France w/o using the Eurail pass.
I didn't see much of Germany. I wish I had. Berlin was an interesting city. Munich is supposed to be freakin awesome.
Italy is cool but pricier. Go to Bologna and tour the Ducati factory. You need a reservation which you can book through the Duc website. It doesn't take long. I did it en route to stay with some friends in a mountain villa in the Alps. Venice is COVERED UP with tourists 24/7 - don't bother. Rome is good. Florence is good.
Spain is warmer during the winter and cheaper than Italy. Barcelona is a party like Vegas wants to be.
See Switzerland. As much of it as possible.
Go to Luxembourg - especially during the off season if you can. Went there with a group of 7. We stayed in a fantastic hotel that opened specifically just for us and had the town to ourselves.
If you ski and go during the winter, most big cities near the mountains will have companies that organize day trips with fixed prices that include the bus ride there and back plus your lift ticket. The Alps are amazing.
Definitely do Prague - excellent quality, inexpensive beer. When in Prague I met some Americans there teaching English for a year each. Through them, I was able to bum a ride through the countryside to see some old defensive castles.
There will be plenty of opportunity to stray from the beaten path - DO IT.
Didn't make it to Croatia when I was there but the hottest women I've ever met were from there and all my friends that visited loved it.
Poland is cool as long as you go during the summer. Don't miss Auschwitz. You can hire a private cab from Krakow for pretty cheap. He'll drive you there and wait for you while you see the camp and then drive you back for like, $80.
Austria is alright. I only saw Vienna. Beautiful city but I didn't have the cash to enjoy the arts. I spent most of my time sitting in the various parks reading and soaking up sun.
If you can get the visa (it's not easy) visit Moscow or St. Petersburg. WAY out of the way but worth it.
Not to sound racist, but wherever you go, watch for Turks and N. Africans. Americans aren't excessively popular anyways - even less so with the Euro-Muslims.
Use common international travel sense: keep your eyes open, don't let yourself fall asleep on the trains in Eastern Europe, and don't be the dumb-ass, loud mouthed American bragging about how bad-ass the US Army is. Australians call us "Sepos" for a reason. It's short for Septic Tanks because we're so full of shit.
been to sweden, russia and finland for hockey, was pretty awesome. had layover in amsterdam but that doesnt count other than the fact we bought absinth there :lol:
negative ghost rider.Quote:
Originally Posted by 1fastcamarosss11
Thanks for all of the info man! I'll definitely be taking some of your advise!Quote:
Originally Posted by Tobynine9
Yeah, I REALLY want to goto Moscow but I dont know if its going to happen.
:offtopic:Quote:
Originally Posted by third_shift|studios
i bet you 100.00 that the browns end the regualr season with a better record then your steelers. if the records are the same, then it is a wash. let me know.
tobynine9's advice is very good in every detail, you can't go wrong following that. as he said, be a little more careful in eastern europe, otherwise it's all reasonably safe.
a little advertisement for germany: munich is nice (for getting the whole beer and lederhosen experience), but definitely check out berlin. a lot going on there. and if you're coming from amsterdam (must see), check out hamburg (contact me for extra info / tour).
if you like whine and castles, go to the rhein-mosel area in central germany. trier on the mosel river is really a sight, historic city with roman buildings from the 3rd century. also near by: the nürburgring speedway!!!
barcelona: go there! (nuff said)
switzerland is very nice, but also extremely expensive.
yes, train is great, but ryanair is definitely an alternative for the longer distances. book well in advance.
get a good travel guide and some info on the web, you'll get an idea of the places and wich you wanna visit.
Hamburger said if you come to germany he will take you out on the autobahn and do 160! Thats the fastest way to get around germany anyway.Quote:
Originally Posted by hamburger68
.... at seven bucks a gallon...Quote:
Originally Posted by 02ultraZ
ouch. Worth it in an f-body?
Again guys thanks for the info!
Hamburger: Isnt there a USAF base in Hamburg? I may have to take you up on that tour!
Also I was thinking of hitting up Romania! Get a little Romanian Pro Street Racing in! http://www.prostreetromania.ro/prostreet.htm
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h2...se81/girlz.jpg
yea and a little VD along with that...
hell yeah! only gone 155 yet....Quote:
Originally Posted by 02ultraZ
no base here, civilian airport. we were british zone after the war. tour: sure thing, a lot to see here! 2nd largest german city, 2nd largest port in europe. famous red light district.Quote:
Originally Posted by mcarse81
Where did you go in England? and what did you do at said place?Quote:
Originally Posted by KITTvsKARR
Yep :lol: from Moskow to Sweden, then from Sweden to Canada, and from Canada to NY. 17 hour flight :ughlaugh::toetap::hahano:Quote:
Originally Posted by pecha
Yeah, I've been to all of those, except Scotland. I've always wanted to go there. Also want to go to Nothern England next time I'm over there. All my family lives in the south so I've never had a chance to go up that way. One of the coolest things I like about England are the castles... however a lot of them are out in the country side or in small towns... so the average tourist who hits the big cities/attactions don't see them. Did you ride the London Eye when you were there?Quote:
Originally Posted by KITTvsKARR
If you go to Germany, Do the following:
Rent a nice Sports car for a DAY (Porche, MB, BMW..ect). MAKE SURE you get every single insurance coverage possible because you might need it
Drive on autobahn as fast as you can to a following location.
Get to the Nürburgring.
Have Fun.
Quote:
The cost for driving a single lap of the Nordschleife is 19 Euro for each car or motorcycle. Multi-lap tickets can be purchased for a lower per-lap price, such as 4 laps at a cost of 65 Euro (16.25 Euro per lap). Additional multi-lap prices are 8 laps for 124 Euro (15.50 Euro per lap), 15 laps for 220 Euro (14.67 Euro per lap), or 25 laps for 345 Euro (13.80 Euro per lap). An annual ticket with unlimited laps, valid from January to December, can be purchased for 895 Euro. A half-year ticket, also with unlimited laps, can be purchased for 465 Euro and is valid from August to December. All prices are current for the 2007 calendar year, and include VAT.
I know what you mean... the Eye has a really good view... but it takes so damn long to get up there... its like a 20 minute ride for something you want to spend 1 minute looking at and taking pictures.Quote:
Originally Posted by KITTvsKARR
BUT: make sure the rental company doesn't exclude the nürburgring, some do, and then you don't have insurance.Quote:
Originally Posted by FSANE
Hi, mcarse81,Quote:
Originally Posted by mcarse81
Are you still planning to come to Europe? If so, don't forget tovisit Luxembourg, I could give you some advice and show you some fancy places. Funny detail: Luxembourg is the place where all the people from France; Germany and Belgium get their gas and diesel fuel as it's still the cheapest here, but of course for you Americans 'cheap' is not the right expression: for a gallon of premium fuel you pay 7.45 dollars...so you think twice before flooring your rig...it's mostly taxes and they rip you off... but in the neighbouring countries it's even worse. So, driving an f-body is pure luxury...if not a true vice!:firedevil:
And, other funny fact: in Luxembourg taxes on alchohol are the lowest among Europe, so booze is quite cheap and during summer you can enjoy your beer, sitting outside: there are a lot of bars, pubs (Irish mostly) and cafés and a lot of foreigners (not only tourists, but also people who work in Lux.). Just in case you are in the vicinity of Lux., be sure not to miss it and I could be your guide.
Paul
You need to ask?Quote:
Originally Posted by 02ultraZ
Holy old post. I just noticed this was from last year.
yup, i also thought: back from the dead?!?Quote:
Originally Posted by 67CamaroRSSS
Yeah I got to go. My buddy divorced his wife and found himself an 18 year old girlfriend in Budapest. He actually just got out of the Air Force just to move over there and live with her. :lick:
Go to Munich the Haufbrau House great beer,brewed on site. Then go to the Nurburgring and drive around the Nordschlife (North Ring) old school F1 race track, but I wouldnt go right after the beer hall.
this is an old one brought back.